Pelikan M800 vs Montblanc 145/149 nib sizes

[PeregrineFalcon]

I’m planning to get a new fountain pen, and I’m settling on either the Pelikan M600/M800/M1000 or Montblanc 145/149 for heavy daily use, and will choose for sure once I get to hold them at an upcoming pen show. 
 

However, my preferred nib size is a Pilot ‘Fine-Medium’ on my Pilot 912. Does anyone know which Pelikan or Montblanc nib closely matches it?
 

I understand European sizes run bigger, but my Lamy Safari ‘Fine’ doesn’t seem especially wider, and lays a thinner line than my ‘Fine-Medium’ Pilot 912. 

[Karmachanic]

In my experience Pelikan nibs can run a bit wider than their designated line width, particularly if used with wet inks. MB nibs are hand finished so there may be some small variation.

I don't think comparing the line width of the somewhat softer 14k Pilot  FM nib to the steel Lamy F nail is particularly helpful.

 

I'd be inclined to lean towards an MB F.  There are several reputable purveyers of used MB pens.  Pelikan too.  Buy one of each for the price of a new 149, and have spondoolies left over for inks.

[Lam1]

Those are very different pens in terms of size. Good thing you will try them in the pen show.

 

As for nib width, I would say that for MB it should be F.

For Pelikan F, maybe EF, if M600/M800.

Definitely EF if the M1000, which writes very differently from all others - it is a soft nib, which for my taste is the best of them all (of course, YMMV).

[Bo Bo Olson]

IMO, the large 146 is a more nimble pen than the large 800.

I prefer the the medium-long 600 over either for balance.

 

I grew up in the days of B&W TV and standard sized and medium-large pens. Those pens were  designed to be posted for great balance.

 

So I'd pick the 600 even if it's 'thinner' than the 146 and 800 is has nice girth and a great balance.

wider girth than the 400/200.

And one can get a semi-vintage pre 2017 vintage steel/gold plated 200's nib or a pre-97-82 gold 400's nib. They are equal...nice springy regular flex/Japanese soft nibs.

 

or a '50-65 semi-flex nib.

 

The pre '97 gold and the pre 2017 200's nibs are tear drop shaped tipped  and write with a clean line.

The '50-65 are factory stubbed and again, write with a clean line.

 

I find the double ball tipping that allows the lazy to continue to write like with a ball point...vertical hold not to have a clean line....and the 400^600 are semi-nails. Some of the 800's are nails...I have them in regular flex...sheich surprised me for a modern 800.

I once had a semi-flex B from one of my semi-flex 400's, on my 600.......even better than the  B stub I had the semi-nail ground down too from BB.

 

The 800 will not take a vintage or semi-vintage 400 or a older 200 nib....the 600 will, so you get much better nibs than the fat and blobby semi-nail modern nib....the modern post '97 400, 600, 800, and 100 are fat and blobby.

The nib you have on your 146/9 is not screw out.

 

I have a standard size - pre 97 600, which is the same size as a 400, being then an upgrade in trim and an 18 k nib. It is an OBB....my post 2000 800 is an OBB, and it is 1/2 a width fatter than the semi-vintage 600.

Vintage & semi-vintage being tear drop tipped are 1/2 a width narrower than modern.

 

On my MB Woolf, I had heard that now...MB writes wide.. In the shop on their paper,  the M nib wrote to a B. At home on better paper it wrote to a M!!!. So i swapped the nib for a B...and got the outside of the tolerance of B...more a BB nib.

I have a vintage and semi-vintage MB's that write as thin and the old Pelikans.

So outside of my Woolf I can't help you with modern.

 

I do suggest getting a nice great balanced 600 and used works just fine...get a semi-vintage springy 200's nib and a vintage stub semi-flex...and have lots of fun.

The fatter 600 nib that comes with the pen.... and have it ground won to CI...Cursive italic.

 

Do go to Richard Binder's site and spend three days...it is the bible of nibs, filling systems, good advice on ink and so many beautiful pens. He explains cursive italic well.

Pendelton Brown made my nail Lamy Persona OB into a B Cursive italic...it's his fine hand writing...not mine.

Just to show you Cursive Italic would be real nice on a 600.

Semi-flex is a line variation ...a flare nib...the 200's springy comfortable ride nib is a bit dryer, so is good for two tone shading inks....that makes a 600 such a suburb pen, in you can get better than modern nibs for it.

 

[MarcoA63]

I tried a Pelikan M1000 M nib and had to go down to an EF. I sent it back and asked for a refund as it was a fire hose.

I have an MB 149 of which I have no idea which nib it has but it writes very nicely and fits well in my hand, keepers.

I have a Pelikan M600 that uses an F nib and this too fits nicely in my hand, keepers as well.

I don't post them at all as they are perfect IMO

[Bo Bo Olson]

Pelikan makes the driest ink, 4001....So Pelikan makes a wet nib to balance that out.

Wat4erman made a thin nib in size...for Western, in Waterman made than a wet ink....so both companies  balanced ink wetness vs nib.

 

Marco...what inks were you using in your 1000??....which should have been a springy regular flex/Japanese soft....so a bit wetter than a nail or semi-nail nib.

 

 

Some of the Edelstein inks are dry, others are medium...and I should know in I have many Edelsteain inks if a couple are wet....but that isn't in my testing parameters....testing is harder word than scribble.